I've had a lot of problems over the years by those who profess to be
houndmen that know their Beagles, but in reality have no clue what they are
talking about. I've had hunters buy a started pup after watching it run in
the pen, take it out in the field the first day and fire a gun rught over
its head, and then call the
next day to complain that the pup was scared
out of its wits and couldn't be caught easily. I've also had hunters buy a
hound, take it out for a week every night on new grounds or in dificult
conditions, then
call me and say the hound follows them around and won't
hunt. The biggest problem I see time and again is someone buy a hound, take
it out when they get home, keep it outside in a new kennel that night, then
call me up the next day wanting their money back because the hound didn't
run and barked all night. These people are very confused and
I usually
prefer not to deal with them. Therefore, I've decided
to put the following
information on grading hounds into writing and hope that it gets read before
the next hunter visits to buy a dog. This is what I've come up with based
primarily on the experiences I've had.

There is so much confusion among novice hunters and field trial Beaglers
about what constitutes a field beagle's characteristics and capabilities
that some definitions and guidance is needed. When dealing with someone
trying to describe their beagle's ability, this is what you need to know.
The prices are in general and related to hounds in this area. Other areas
may vary in what a hound can cost.

Gun Dog ($250-$500) - This is a hound used primarily for
hunting. It can jump its own rabbit, is medium speed to faster, and will
keep the rabbit moving so the hunter can get a shot. Unless you run hare,
the breeding for Gun dogs and Field Trial dogs is nearly the same.

Brace Field Trial Hound
($250 to several $1000) - Field
Trial hounds are bred for good noses and patience. They are slow and will
sometimes hang up on a check without reaching out to find the line. Despite
what diehard hunters say, most field trial hounds make good hunting dogs
after they get a little older, pick up some speed, and learn to work out
farther from a check.

Gundog Competition Hound ($250 -$1000 or more) - This is normally
a medium to fast hunting type hound that will jump on its own, work with
other hounds, push a rabbit without loosing it, and takes control of the
line and pack.

Each of these hound types are graded based on its ability and experience.
Below are the grades often used to describe these hounds.

Started Hound ($150-$200) - This is usually a young hound (to 1 ½ years old)
that has only recently started to bark (open) on hot rabbit scent. What this
means is the hound will likely not even put its nose down at first if the ground
is frozen, and that it will take some time for the hound to get used to you before
it will hunt or even get out from under your feet. This does not mean a hound
that will run a line, will go to other running dogs, will go into heavy brush on
its own, or one that has been gun broke when you first take it out. Those who
start hounds normally will work the pup until it barks on a hot scent. Unless
you pay for additional training, the rest is up to you. By the way, most hunters
want to buy started pups so they can be trained to
run the way the hunter wants.

At this point, field trial and gun dogs start to separate. A started hound
with good gun dog potential will want to work a line harder than a field trial
hound, has a colder nose, and will often want to find a rabbit on its own. A
field trial hound will start to work hard at checks, but won't necessarily try to
find its own rabbit.

Well Started Hound ($200-$250) - This is a young hound that can track a
rabbit for a short distance without loosing it. The hound will also likely go to
other running hounds once it gets used to you (maybe under your feet for a couple
of weeks). You still have the problem of the hound smelling in difficult
scenting conditions, of getting the hound to quickly work into heavy brush, and
of breaking the hound to a gun shot.

Young Running Hound ($200-$300) -
This is a hound with at least 3 months under its belt that will track a rabbit in
good conditions on its own without loosing quickly, will usually go into strange
running hounds with little prompting, and will go into heavy brush on its own.
If a hunting dog, this hound has also been conditioned to a gun.

Solid Running Hound ($300-$500) - This is an experienced hound with at
least a full season under its belt. It will keep a rabbit moving without a loss,
run with other dogs and will normally not require much in the way of getting used
to a new owner.

Jump Dog ($200-$350) - This is what many hunters think
is a good running hound. Sorry I disagree. To me this is a fair running hound
that has a colder nose, can push into heavy brush to jump a rabbit on its own,
but doesn't have the patience to keep from loosing a rabbit before long and go
looking for another rabbit. You need to run this hound with other hounds that can
carry the line.

Wind Splitter (???) - This is really a super fast but fair jump dog that
will only carry a line for a short distance before over running and going to
look for another line. Many hunting hounds fall into this category. While
these hounds do have worth for hunting, I'm not the best person to guess
what a hunter might be willing to pay.

Pup Starter ($100-$150) - This is usually an older hound that simply
cant keep up with the young hounds but still has plenty of desire. The
best pup starters are slower speed with a good mouth that will seldom loose
a rabbit.